Ave and the Prisoner DISCONTINUED
by jlora123
Summary: Ave Whittaker is normal in all ways except for one: she's a witch. When she starts her first year at Hogwarts, she's in for a major surprise-Sirius Black, notorious prisoner from Azkaban, the wizard prison, has escaped and is on the loose. DISCONTINUED
1. Chapter 1

Ave and the Prisoner

Avery Whittaker is normal in all ways except for one: she's a witch. When she starts her first year at Hogwarts, she's in for a major surprise-Sirius Black, notorious prisoner from Azkaban, the wizard prison, has escaped and is on the loose. That's not the worst part though. He's looking for her new best friend, Harry Potter, and is on the way to Hogwarts. Looks like Ave is in for a wild ride through first year and beyond.

**Disclaimer: In no way could Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban ever be mine. Or anything Harry Potter related for that matter. FYI school list and letters from HP 1, except for the Defense for Man, and Beast by Jenna Horcruxen. That book is all MINE! :)**

Chapter One- The Letter, the Professor and the Grim

Avery Whittaker shot up from her bed panting, her long, curly black hair plastered to her face with sweat and her gray eyes open wide with fear. She had just woken up from a nightmare and was frightened out of her mind.

Trying to remember it was like trying to hold water in your hands. It's there for a moment, but the next it's trickling away. She could definitely remember three large animals and a laughing man, with a snake's nose. Or did she? She couldn't tell anymore.

"AVERY MELODY WHITTAKER! GET YOUR LAZY BUTT DOWN HERE AND START WITH BREAKFAST!" Mrs. Jessica Whittaker screeched upwards towards Avery's room, startling her from her thoughts. Groaning, she rolled off of the bed and threw on a pair of sweats and a shirt that said London across the front in block letter. Dragging her feet, Ave walked down the stairs sadly. Had her mother and father really forgotten her eleventh birthday was today? Eleven was an important number, especially when born on July 4th, Independence Day in America.

"Sorry Ave, happy birthday," Her brother, Doug, whispered to her as she walked slowly towards the kitchen. He was the only one in her immediate family that liked her.

Avery had had a hard childhood. Her parents, Jessica and Jacob, had never really shown they cared for her. They preferred Doug, who was two years younger, and a billion times better in their eyes. No matter how good Ave did in school, or how good she was at home, they had never loved her as a daughter. They saw her more as a nuisance, or as their personal slave. Though they treated her horribly, she still loved her parents.

"Avery! START BREAKFAST WILL YOU, YOU USELESS LUMP!" Her mother screamed again. Setting off at a sprint, Ave skidded into her kitchen and pulled bacon from the fridge, turned on the stove, and started cooking it all in about five seconds. She had gotten used to doing stuff like this, so this was like second nature.

After cooking breakfast in record time, Ave sat down at the table, only to be immediately told to make herself useful and go get the mail. She slumped off towards the front door, where the mail slot was, and leaned forward to pick up the pile of letters. On top of the stack was a letter that said, in bright green ink, Miss Avery Whittaker, The Smallest Bedroom, 39 Hawthorne Street, - shire, England. The letter was printed on a curious type of paper- it was thick and was yellowing. Was that parchment like they learned about last week in History? She thought that only Ancient Egyptians used parchment though. Turning the letter over carefully in her hands, she saw with shock that the seal used was one of an eagle, a badger, a snake, and a lion, all intertwined around a letter H.

Shoving the letter in a pocket of her sweatshirt to read later, she walked slowly back into the kitchen, handed the other letters to Mr. Whittaker, and darted upstairs to her room to read her letter. Opening it nervously, her mouth dropped open in surprise when she read the letter that fell out. Could this be some joke?

**HOGWARTS SCHOOL**

_of _**WITCHCRAFT**_ and _**WIZARDRY**

Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE  
><em>(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,<em>

_Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards) _

_Dear Miss Whittaker,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of necessary books and equipment. Term begins September 1__st__. We await your owl by no later than July 31__st__._

_Yours Sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall_

Minerva McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress

Carefully holding the envelope, Avery picked up the second piece of parchment that fell out of the envelope. It was the school supplies list.

**HOGWARTS SCHOOL**

_of _**WITCHCRAFT **_and _**WIZARDRY**

_UNIFORM:_

_First year students will require:_

_Three sets of plain work robes (black)_

_One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear_

_One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)_

_One winter cloak (black with silver fastenings)_

_Please note that all pupils' clothes should carry name tags_

_COURSE BOOKS:_

_All students should have a copy of each of the following:_

_The Standard Book of Spells (Grade One) by Miranda Goshawk_

_A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot_

_Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling_

_A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch_

_One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore_

_Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger_

_Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander_

_Defense for the Average Man or Beast by Jenna Horcruxen_

_OTHER EQUIPMENT:_

_One Wand_

_One Cauldron (Pewter, Standard Size 1)_

_One set glass or crystal phials_

_One telescope_

_One set brass scales_

_Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad._

_PARENTS ARE REMINDED FIRST YEARS ARE NOT PERMITTED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS_

Ave swallowed nervously. How was she supposed to get all of this stuff! It had to cost a fortune too! All those books, wands, telescopes, clothes? How was she even supposed to know if this was real and not a joke, or her parents cruel way of getting rid of her? Just then, the doorbell rang.

"AVERY GET THE DOOR YOU STUPID CHILD!" Her father yelled this time. Sighing, Avery walked downstairs and opened the door to see the strangest woman she had ever seen or even imagined. The lady had black-greyish hair pulled into a tight bun on the back of her head and sharp green eyes. She had the air of someone you did NOT want to mess with. Her clothes were also very strange. They were long, swirling robes in a navy blue color. This woman looked like a no-nonsense type of person.

"Miss Whittaker? I'm Professor McGonagall, Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts. I would like to talk with you and your guardians," The lady, well Professor McGonagall, said in an official tone of voice.

"Um, okay? MOM! DAD! SOMEONE HERE TO TALK TO YOU!" Avery yelled back to the parents.

"AVERY YOU INSOLENT GIRL BRING HER INSIDE!" They yelled back at me in unison. Taking in McGonagall's shocked face, Ave lead her inside to the kitchen, and let her take the only seat available-the one next to her parents.

"Mr. and Mrs. Whittaker, your foster daughter-" McGonagall started up.

"WHOA! Wait! Hold on! FOSTER DAUGHTER?" Avery shrieked surprised.

"Yes Miss Whittaker foster daughter. Did you not know this?" McGonagall said sarcastically, looking annoyed.

"No, _Professor, _I did most certainly NOT know that," Avery sneered, upset by this. How could she NOT know she was a foster child? Sure she looked different from all the Whittaker's, as they all had straight, dull brown hair and eyes, and were all tall, whereas she stood at a measly 4'7", and had blue-black curls and gray eyes, but she would KNOW.

"Well Miss Whittaker, you are a foster child and while you didn't know this there is nothing I can do to change this fact," McGonagall said, eyeing Mr. and Mrs. Whittaker with a disgusted look on her face, like she was wondering if they ever planned on telling her she was an orphan.

Mr. Whittaker stood up so fast he shook the table. He was a tall, extremely thin man, with a large mustache that was disproportionate to his face size. "YOU LISTEN! You had NO RIGHT TO TELL THAT WRETCHED PIECE OF TRASH THAT! IT IS NONE OF YOUR BUISNESS! SHE WILL NOT GO TO THAT SCHOOL!" He yelled.

McGonagall looked extremely offended. Avery was watching the whole thing with an interested look on her face. "It is my business, and she shall be going to school. Miss Whittaker, if you will pack a bag with clothes and money, we will be going back to my living quarters as these… people… are obviously unable to take care of you without verbally, emotionally, and physically abusing you," She stated with a deathly look on her face.

Avery jumped up and scrambled towards the door and her room, dragging Doug behind her. She pulled him with her up into her bedroom, and then hugged him with all her might. He was her only real family, even if he wasn't related to her. Doug hugged back, equally hard, and she kissed the top of his head before letting him go, and throwing clothes into her backpack.

"Dougie, I'll miss you," She said quietly, Mr. and Mrs. Whittaker's screams echoing through the house. "I hope to see you again."

"Ave, don't go!" Doug sobbed. She swallowed nervously. It was true. Even though Doug was her 'parents' favorite, how was he supposed to survive in this house, this terrible, evil house?

"Dougie, I promise, as soon as I can, I'll come back and save you from them, save you from what they can make you become," Avery promised him quickly before sprinting down the stairs, and out of the house. McGonagall soon followed.

Walking briskly down the street, McGonagall beckoned for her to follow. Ave made the mistake of looking back at the house. She could still here those… peoples… screams, but the worst part was what was on the uppermost right window. Doug's face was plastered against the window, tear-stained and depressed. It broke Avery's heart, but she knew that no matter what she could not go back.

Turning back to McGonagall, she continued walking. McGonagall held out her hand, told Avery to take it, and spun in a tight circle. A horrible pressure closed in on Ave's chest, and she felt like she was being squeezed into a dot, not able to breathe, not able to think and then it was over. Panting for breath, Ave dropped to her knew before realizing she was in a completely different place from where she was before.

"Sorry about that, that was apparating. It means disappearing from one place and appearing in another. It was necessary for times' sake," McGonagall explained as Ave caught her breath.

But Ave wasn't listening. Across the park, for that's where they appeared, stood a gigantic, black, incredibly furry dog. It looked almost bear-like; it was that large and menacing.

"Professor, w-what's THAT?' Avery asked desperately, scared of the gigantic thing.

"That's what a divination teacher would call the 'Grim', a death omen. Divination is the 'art' of telling the future," McGonagall explained, her tone of voice leaving no doubt that she thought that the fine art of Divination was a load of utter rubbish.

"Oh," Ave said quietly. She was still nervous.

"It's fine dear. Come along, we have to make it back to my flat quickly. I'll explain magic when we get there," McGonagall said kindly, noticing that Ave was still fearful.

Walking quickly, McGonagall walked up to a building that looked happy and cheerful, walked up the stairs to the third floor, with Avery trailing behind, and unlocked the door to flat number 39.

"Walk on in dear. Everything will be fine, okay? Don't worry," McGonagall said reassuringly, but it wasn't necessary. For a second time, Ave had blanked out, but this time with wonder and happiness. The flat she had just walked into seemed so… anti-Whittaker, which couldn't have agreed with her more. It was so cozy and… perfect. She smiled at McGonagall, and had a feeling that this was the best thing that ever happened to her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: No, I don't in fact own Harry Potter, or anything related really. All I own is Avery, Doug and the Whittaker's. They ARE a piece of work though, aren't they?**

**AN: THANKS Edwardlvr2317 for adding this to your favorites list, and thanks Daisy Torres for reviewing AND adding this to your favorites list! :) **

Chapter Two- Explanation, Harry Potter, and Wands

"Avery, as you have probable figured out by now, you are a witch. I'm sure you don't want to be called Whittaker anymore, now that you have escaped that house. We're going to call you by the name Rowling **(A/N: lol, just had to)** for the time being, until we find out who your true parents are. Is it okay with you that we call you Rowling?" McGonagall started. Ave had a feeling the McGonagall was withholding information, and that she really did know who her parents were, but Ave didn't press it. This woman was taking care of her after all.

"I'll just stay Whittaker thanks. Now what are witches and wizards?" Ave said quietly. She's get confused if she was called anything but Avery Melody Whittaker, thank you very much.

"Witches and wizards have the power to do magic. They either are homeschooled, or go to Wizard School to learn how to control it. You shall be going to Hogwarts, where I work as a transfiguration teacher, and as deputy headmistress.

While you are there, you shall learn all types of magic such as, Transfiguration, Charms, Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, Astronomy, Flying etc. You shall spend seven years at this school. At the age of seventeen you become of age, and are allowed to do magic outside of school. When you are underage, or under seventeen, there is something called the Trace that is put on you. You aren't allowed to do magic outside of school, and the Trace detects when you do. You get a warning from the Ministry the first time, which I hope you won't have to get anyways.

Oh, and you should probably know about Voldemort, or as most call him You-Know-Who, or He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. He was a dark wizard, a wizard gone bad. He did many terrible, terrible things. His followers were called Death Eaters. Twelve years ago, he went after a family named the Potters. They had a son that was a year-old, named Harry. No one knows how or why, but though he tried to kill baby Harry, he couldn't. Voldemort vanished, and Harry survived with only a scar. Harry is in his third year at Hogwarts," McGonagall said, then stopped abruptly, looking nervous.

"One of his followers, Sirius Black, has just escaped from the wizard's prison, Azkaban. He killed thirteen muggles, non-magic people, and a Peter Pettigrew. Just be careful this year alright?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Avery said, doing a sort of mock- salute towards McGonagall.

Rolling her eyes, McGonagall sighed. "In two weeks' time, I'll take you to Diagon Alley, alright? It's where wizards and witches get the things they need. Until term starts, you are allowed to stay here, at my flat. Got it?"

"Yeah, yeah. What can I do while I'm here anyways?" Ave said impatiently. There was still an entire month until school started. What was she supposed to DO up until August 15th? Sleep?

"Well, I guess I you can read books, play in that park across the street, draw, make friends with the other children living in this building, do nothing? Isn't that what you want to do?" Asked McGonagall sounding maternal.

Ave grinned. That was EXACTLY what she had wanted to do. She just wasn't going to let McGonagall know that she was right. That just went against the nature of all that was right with the world!

The two weeks that Ave spent at McGonagall's flat flew right past her. Ave was having the most fun she had ever had in her entire life, what with reading books, which she loved to do, and doing mostly nothing but lying around the flat.

Ave had started to see McGonagall as a combination between long lost aunt, and grandmother. She was kind to Avery, and had never really yelled at her. McGonagall even allowed Ave to call her Minerva, which made Avery feel more loved than she had ever felt before at those…people's… house.

Ave had started to miss Doug. Though they weren't related, Avery still felt responsible for him, and felt that she was playing the role of his older sister, or his favorite cousin, until she had left.

On the morning of August the 15th, Minerva came bustling through the front door of her flat, and took it in with wide eyes. In the half an hour it took for Dumbledore to notify her of Harry Potter's disappearance from the Dursley's, him blowing up his aunt, and his reappearance at the Leaky Cauldron, that girl she had taken under her wing had made her perfectly organized flat and made it look like the site of a bombing. But why had it taken Albus about a week to notify her of Potter's mishap?

"WHAT HAPPENED HERE?" Minerva shrieked at Avery, who was lounging on the couch.

"Aw, Minnie, I just reorganized. You like?" Ave said towards Minerva. Minerva's jaw dropped open. She was pretty certain who the girl's parents were before, but now? She was absolutely certain. Good Lord, Ave was her parents reincarnated! She couldn't let the child know though, not yet.

Mentally shaking herself, Minerva flicked her wand, and her flat returned to normal. "Well, let's go. We have to get your school things," She ordered in a soft tone of voice, still shaken from what had just happened. Poor child. She really pitied the girl.

Going through side-along apparation was something that Ave had hoped she would never have to do again. Unfortunately, Minnie had made her grab her arm so they could go to the Leaky Cauldron, which she had explained was the entrance to the Alley.

Stumbling a little as she appeared at her destination, Ave took in the Leaky Cauldron. It didn't seem extremely special, as McGonagall assured her it was, or magical. It just looked like a grimy, seedy bar.

"Come along, come along," Minnie said, pulling her along towards the door at the back of the bar. Stepping outside, they appeared to be surrounded by walls and bricks. McGonagall counted bricks, while Ave looked on unimpressed. Finally tapping one with her wand, Minnie turned back to Ave only to be met by her open mouth.

Chuckling to herself, Minerva pulled the stunned girl through the entrance, and took her bag of gold out of her pocket, and led Avery to Madam Malkin's.

Ave was currently looking all around, at all the magic shops and stores that there were. An Apothecary, an Owlery, a wand shop? Ave was excited. There was nothing else for it.

From both sides of her, came cries of "Hello Professor," and "Hey McGonagall!" Ave got the feeling that they all respected Minnie. Ah, if only they knew, she thought amusedly.

"Okay, Avery, I'm going to leave you in here for a half hour with Mr. Potter over there. I'll be back, but I have some business to attend to," Minnie said, before exiting the robes shop quickly, leaving Ave to walk over to where 'Mr. Potter' was standing. He was a handsome boy, with messy black hair, piercing green eyes, glasses, and extremely straight features, standing on a platform being fitted for robes.

"Um, hello?" Ave said nervously.

"One second dearie, I just have to finish with Mr. Potter here," The lady fitting him, Madame Malkin maybe, said kindly.

"Hi, I'm Avery. What's your name?" She asked 'Mr. Potter' kindly.

The boy snorted. "I'm Harry. Suppose you already knew that though. Everyone does," He grumbled under his breathe.

"Yeah, I guess Minnie mentioned you once. Something about Dumbledore taking too long to tell her about something with your family? I've got a stupid family. Minnie's being really nice, though I guess I understand why she blew up when I reorganized her entire flat," Ave said while grinning wickedly. Harry looked up, surprised.

Unable to stop himself, he laughed at how ridiculous the girl was being.

"POTTER! STOP MOVING!" Madame Malkin shrieked.

Harry smiled apologetically at her. "Minnie?" He asked.

"Professor McGonagall. I'm staying with her, as my foster family was being uptight and… foster family-ish," Ave said in a dismissive tone of voice, waving her hands about her face.

"Avery, I think I like you!" Harry laughed to himself. This girl was hilarious, and she was calling McGonagall, Minnie? Daredevil! "Is this going to be your first year at Hogwarts?" He asked her.

"Yep. I want to be a Gryffindor, it sounds the best by far. I mean being smart is great and all, but you get NO WHERE if you don't have the courage to do things, or try new stuff, or stand up for what you believe in. But really, as long as I'm not in Slytherin I'll be fine!" She smiled at Harry, after her rant was done.

Harry laughed again. "Well, I'm a Gryffindor. You probably will be in Gryffindor though. You seem like my friend, Ron's older brothers. They're twins, and pranksters!"

"Do they play the switching trick?" Ave asked, grinning wickedly.

"Of course!" Harry said, roaring with laughter. Avery was REALLY funny.

"Oh, by the way, call me Ave," She said, standing on the platform next to him. This shook him. Had they been talking so long that he had finished getting fitted for robes, and she was almost done?

"Well Ave, I'll see you on the train!" Harry waved, and then walked away. That girl was something.

Minerva was walking in the robes shop when she stopped, stunned. Had Ave really made friends with Harry that fast? Harry suddenly walked past, stopping to say a "Hi, Minnie", before sprinting away, laughing harder than she had ever seen him laugh before, his green eyes twinkling.

Smiling to herself, Minerva walked over to Ave, who had just finished getting her robes fitted.

The rest of the day absolutely FLEW by for Ave. One second she was talking to Harry in Madame Malkin's, and the next she was standing outside of Ollivander's, only her wand left to buy.

"Dear, can you get your wand alone? I have another business… thing… to attend to that I forgot about until now," Minnie said suddenly. Ave shrugged. Most of her life had been spent alone. What did a little more time alone mean to her?

Carefully pushing open the door to Ollivander's, Ave took in her surroundings. Dusty boxes were sitting on shelves stacked high to the ceiling, extending back forever. Though there were thousands of what must have been the wand boxes, there was no one in sight.

"Come for a wand, have you?" A thin voice rung out through the store, seemingly coming from nowhere.

Quickly turning around, Ave found herself face to face with an old man. "Yes," She said, smiling at the man nervously.

"You look like your father, you do. Anyways, hold out your dominant arm, which will become your wand arm," Ollivander said, catching Ave's interest with the father comment, but continuing on before Ave had a chance to ask what he meant.

Sticking out her right arm, she watched in amazement as a tape measure started measuring everything about her. The freaky part was that the tape measure was floating on its own! Ollivander, meanwhile, was picking through boxes and taking out a select few. By the time the measure was done measuring, there was a stack of about ten wands sitting in front of her. The box on top looked the newest, while the box on the bottom looked to be about a thousand years old.

"I'm going to give you a wand, and you are going to wave it. Remember, Miss, the wand chooses the wizard not the other way around," Ollivander said mysteriously, ignoring the questioning look that Ave sent him.

Ave waved the first wand around, feeling stupid, but was offended when the old man grabbed it back almost instantly. She worked her way through the pile of wands, feeling more and more angry until she reached the ninth wand in the stack.

"Ah, yes. 11 and three quarter inches, pliable, made of willow with a hair from a unicorns tail as its core. This could be the one, though made eight hundred fifty years ago."

Picking up this one, she could immediately sense it was different than the others. Heck, it even looked different from the others, with the vines carved into the wood, and the diamonds swirling down the sides. A shower of golden sparks flew out the end.

"Ah yes, this is the one for you!" Ollivander said excitedly. Paying for her wand, and walking out of the wand shop, Ave almost ran into Minnie.

"Here you go; I've bought you a kitten. Think of it as a present from Hogwarts," Minnie said, almost embarrassedly, holding out a light gray kitten with sparkling purple eyes. Ave squealed. She had wanted a pet, but didn't think it right to ask for one, especially with all that Minnie, and everyone else for that matter, had been doing for her.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you" She squealed jumping around.

Neither Ave nor McGonagall noticed Harry Potter watching from the shadows, smiling at the scene before him. Ave deserved some happiness, he decided. And he would be the one to give it to her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Je n'ai pas les livres d'Harry Potter. I know that means I don't have the Harry Potter books, but let's pretend it means that I don't own the Harry Potter books…. Actually, avoir might mean to have or to own….**

**Author's Note: Today is the tenth anniversary of September 11, 2001. Let's keep the victims of this tragedy, and their families, in our hearts today and forever. **

**Okay, so thank you to Cookie05 for reviewing and putting this on your alerts list, and ShadowOfMyLight for adding this story to your favorites list and putting it on your alerts list. It means a lot to me!**

Chapter Three- Hogwarts Express, Embarrassing Minnie, and Sorting

The next couple of weeks passed by like a flash for Ave. The time she spent in Minnie's flat was spent reading her new course books. SHE, for one, didn't know that a bezoar was an antidote to most poisons, or that it was found in a goat's stomach, or that Amortentia, when finished correctly smelled like things that you loved most.

She also learned about different charms and hexes, and decided that Transfiguration and Defense Against the Dark Arts would definitely be the best subjects. Ave knew that this made Minnie proud, though Minnie herself would probably never admit it.

The next thing Ave knew, Minnie had dropped her off at Kings Cross Station, and told her how to get on the platform. Apparently Minnie couldn't be seen there as she was known in her students for her strictness. Pfft, Avery knew that on the inside McGonagall was a huge softy.

Pushing her way through the crowded station, she saw the pillar between platforms 2 and 3, and took a deep breath before closing her eyes and running through the wall, cringing as she prepared for impact. After running for a good ten seconds without running through anything, Ave opened her eyes, and her mouth dropped open. She was standing on a completely new platform, in front of a scarlet steam engine that read Hogwarts Express across the front.

Ave tugged her trunk towards the train and was about to lift it when a pair of hands came into her way and lifted it for her.

"Thanks," she said, looking up at a pale boy with white blonde hair. "What's your name? I'm Avery."

"I'm Draco, pleased to meet you," The boy said in an amused, yet at the same time polite voice. "Are you a first year?"

"Yep! Well bye Draco, thanks, see you in school!" Ave said happily and then skipped off, leaving Draco staring after her with a small smile on his face.

Jumping onto the train, Ave sat down in the first empty compartment she could find, which had some guy sleeping with a bunch of gray hair that he looked too young for in it also, but Ave didn't care. She was just excited to be going to Hogwarts. Minnie was head of Gryffindor, so it felt important to make her extremely proud by being in her house.

"Guys, in here," Ave heard a voice say. "I think it's empty except for that man," So apparently whoever it was hadn't noticed her. Oh the fun she could have with that. Just as the three people walked into her compartment, Ave jumped up from her seat and screamed BOO! The red haired boy and the buck toothed girl who made up 2/3 of the trio shrieked and jumped about a mile in the air.

"Hey Ave," Harry grinned at the small, ebony haired girl. He was looking forward to seeing her again, so finding her in the compartment they were going to sit in was great.

"Hey Harry. Who're your friends?"

"Hermione and Ron. Hermione's the one with red hair, that looks like a boy but is secretly a girl," Harry said, grinning at Avery. Avery giggled and then replied.

"So Ron is the red-haired boy," She smirked.

"Yep! How was life with Minnie these past few weeks?" Harry asked, ignoring the astonished looks on his friends faces. Sure he was moping just thirty seconds ago, but c'mon! He was with Ave! She was impossible to mope around!

"Great. She was practically suicidal when I told her my secret ambition was to be a Slytherin. She believed me for like twenty minutes until she caught me laughing in the park. Then I didn't get into trouble because Minnie loves me!" Avery said, all in one breath.

"Nice! Okay, can you keep a secret Ave? Like seriously, don't tell anyone this," Harry said, about to tell what he had heard Mr. and Mrs. Weasley fighting about. Ron and Hermione looked at him, even more surprised. The fact that he trusted this girl that he had apparently met before was surprising. It took a lot to earn Harry's trust this year.

Ave nodded solemnly. If Harry was going to trust her, she would not abuse his trust.

"Wait, who d'you reckon he is?" Ron hissed at Harry and Hermione, taking his seat. He didn't trust Ave, no matter how much Harry did.

"Professor R. J. Lupin," Both Hermione and Ave answered as one. Ave looked at Hermione faintly amused, while Hermione shot an annoyed look at Avery. It seemed Miss Granger wasn't used to people knowing the answers to questions that she thought only she knew the answers to.

"How d'you know that?"

"It's on his case," Said Hermione, smirking at Ron's annoyed look.

"I'm psychic," Ave said at the exact same time, eliciting a laugh from Harry. Hermione glared at Ave. Apparently she was intruding.

As the ride went on Harry explained what he had heard Mr. and Mrs. Weasley arguing about, and the warning Mr. Weasley had given him. After explaining this and dealing with Ron and Hermione's bad reactions, Harry explained his first two years at Hogwarts to Ave. He didn't know what it was, but he felt the need for someone who hadn't been there to know it all, and Ave seemed like the perfect person.

At the end of Harry's story, Avery was extremely upset for Harry. No one deserved to go through all of that. No one. And she had a feeling that it wasn't going to stop anytime soon.

After an eventful first half of her ride, Draco, and two large, fat, unappealing boys, showed up at the door to Ave's compartment.

"Well look who it is," The Slytherin had drawled, entering the compartment. "Potty and the Weasel."

Avery stood up so fast that everyone thought she was a blur through the air. "Draco, these are my friends. Now if you want to get in a fight with my friends, while there is a teacher here no less, then you get into a fight with me. My foster parents may not have treated me very well, but I do know Karate. I was a brown belt. Please leave if you are going to insult Harry and ginger."

Draco's mouth dropped open. So Avery was friends with Potty, huh? "Fine. But only because I like you Avery," Draco smirked, sauntering out of the compartment with his minions following him. Harry, Ron and Hermione looked shell shocked.

"How do you know Malfoy?" Ron asked suspiciously.

"He helped me lift my trunk onto the train," Ave shrugged.

The train ride was finally over. The dementor, had drained Ave emotionally and physically. It had made her hear the Whittaker's abusing her, and one final memory of someone laughing insanely, and a woman pleading for something.

"Firs' years! Firs' years over here!" A giant of a man said over the crowd at Hogsmeade station. Ave made her way over to the man. "Alrigh' now inta the boats, you lot!"

Ave climbed into the closest boy with a sneering boy, and two grinning girls. Slytherin's and Hufflepuff's it looked like.

Floating across the lake, Avery gasped as she caught sight of the castle. It was so beautiful, with the twinkling lights, and the black silhouette of the castle against the backdrop.

Minnie gave her monologue to the first years, but before she could leave, Ave had something to say. "HEY MINNIE! REMEMBER WHEN I REORGANIZED YOUR FLAT!" She screamed, giggling as Minnie blushed.

McGonagall gave a stern look at Ave before bringing her into the Great Hall for sorting. Just before she could put the sorting hat on the stool, however, Ave screamed at McGonagall again. "MINNIE! REMEMBER AT DIAGON ALLEY WHEN YOU GAVE ME A KITTEN AND I NAMED IT GWEN AND THEN WHEN I TOLD YOU I WANTED TO BE IN SLYTHERIN BUT WAS JOKING? GOOD TIMES!"

The entire Great Hall burst out laughing, most noticeably Dumbledore, and the Weasley twins stood up and saluted Ave.

"Now, on with the sorting," Minnie said, looking ruffled.

The sorting hat sang its song, and before she knew it, it was Ave's turn to be sorted. With her name as Whittaker, she was last of the first years. Dennis Creevy, Jessica Parker, Christina James, Arielle Adams, Brian Frost, Christopher Reeves, James Lightingale, and Rose White had all been sorted as Gryffindor's.

"Whittaker, Avery," Minnie called.

"Yep that's my name Minnie," Ave called while smirking, winking at McGonagall as she walked up to the hat.

Jamming it on her head she heard a silvery voice begin to speak. "Well, my dear, you are an interesting case. Your parents were both in Gryffindor, but came from families with primarily Slytherin backgrounds. But, I can see that you would do best in…"

"GRYFFINDOR!" The hat screamed. The entire gold and maroon table exploded with cheers, and Minnie was clapping the loudest. Ave hopped off the stool grinning, took a bow, and skipped off to the Gryffindor table grinning. She had made Minnie quite proud, and she was proud of that.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Je n'ai pas les livres d'Harry Potter.**

**Author's Note: AHH. Sorry it's been like a month, but school has been overwhelming. I've been having tests every single day. And I was sick. But anyways, thanks Cookie05 for reviewing again and VampireArgonian92 for adding this story to your favorites! This makes me VERY VERY HAPPY! :D**

Chapter Four- Classes, The Golden Trio, and Snape

Classes started the next day. Ave was lying in bed staring up at the canopy atop her bed. A soft smile lit up her young face. At ten o'clock that night Ave drifted off into dreamland, thinking about how much better it was away from the Whittaker's. Except for Doug, who she missed with a burning passion, but he was the only one.

The next morning, Ave woke with a start to see her room mates, Jessica, Rose, Christina, and Arielle, running about nervously. Sitting up in bed, and shaking the sleep out of her eyes, Ave looked around the dorm room. The beds surrounding her, belonging to Rose and Arielle were a mess of tangled blankets and muggle clothes.

Climbing out of bed, Ave quickly showered, got dressed in her new, magically Gryffindor, robes. Dashing excitedly down the stairs, Ave almost literally ran into Harry and his two friends, who she had found out, were called Ron and Hermione, and made up into something called the Golden Trio. Apparently though they were only Third Years, they had gotten into more trouble than most Seventh Years.

"Hey Harry!" Ave half-screamed from her excitement to finally being able to start the classes she had only recently learned about.

"Hey Ave, want to come down to the Great Hall with us?" Harry chuckled back at Ave, ignoring the exasperated looks on his friend's faces. Apparently they didn't like the girl very much.

"Sure HAARRRYYY!" Ave shrieked happily, then bounded out of the portrait hole, the Golden Trio trailing behind, 2/3 in annoyance, the other third in wonder.

Entering the Great Hall Ave looked around to see the boy; Draco was his name, seemingly pretending to faint, to the great amusement of the Slytherin's.

As Harry walked past, Hermione seemed to whisper something to him, making Ave confused. What was so important that Hermione had to whisper it in the middle of the Great Hall to Harry? She had no clue, until…

"Hey, Potter!" shrieked a Slytherin girl who greatly resembled a Shar Pei type dog. "Potter! The dementors are coming Potter! Wooooooooo!"

Ave rolled her eyes, marched over to the Slytherin table, and stood sweetly smiling until Draco and Shar Pei girl were looking at her.

"What do you want, you filthy mudblood?" Draco asked, a look upon his aristocratic face as though he had just swallowed dog feces.

"Drakky-poo? Don't be a donkey. Later," Ave said, then flounced away, satisfied with the resulting looks of astonishment on the Slytherin's faces.

Sitting back down at the Gryffindor table, Ave smiled across at Harry's look of surprise and reached behind her just in time for Minnie to hand her a class schedule. Looking down on it, Ave smirked. It appeared that she was going to have a great day.

_Day One:_

_1st Period and 2nd Period: Double Potions with Slytherin_

_3rd Period: Transfiguration with Ravenclaw_

_LUNCH_

_4th Period: Defense Against the Dark Arts with Slytherin_

_5th Period: Charms with Hufflepuff_

_Day Two:_

_1st Period: Charms with Ravenclaw_

_2nd Period and 3rd Period: Double Herbology with Hufflepuff_

_LUNCH_

_4th Period and 5th Period: Double History of Magic with Ravenclaw_

_Day Three:_

_1st Period: Transfiguration with Slytherin_

_2nd Period: Defense Against the Dark Arts with Hufflepuff_

_3rd Period: Astronomy Theory with Ravenclaw_

_LUNCH_

_Free Period_

_Free Period_

_Astronomy Practical at Midnight on Astronomy Tower_

_ROTATING SCHEDULE, Day 1, Day 2, THEN Day 3, THEN REPEAT FOR REST OF YEAR_

* * *

><p>Ave smiled, gathered her books, then headed off to Potions, where she sat at an empty table, and set down her books. As her classmates trickled in, she somehow ended up sitting next to James Lightingale, who was a tall boy with shaggy brunette hair and gleaming blue eyes, who was rather handsome for a boy of only eleven.<p>

Then, a tall man with greasy hair and flowing black robes swept through the room, the door to the dungeons clanging to a shut with a loud BANG! The man whipped around so quickly that you could almost see the grease drops flinging off the sides of his hair, and whirled to a stop facing the class with a neutral expression on his face.

"Hello class," He said in a bored, drawling tone of voice. "I am Professor Snape, your Potions Master. I won't even bother giving my customary speech about potions as you all appear to be daft, and none of you will probably meet my standards come OWL time anyways, so it doesn't even matter if I give it." He continued on as he surveyed as his eyes swirled around the room, then hiss eyes lit upon Ave.

"And you, Miss Whittaker I believe, what is a bezoar and where is it found?" He asked smirking, obviously not expecting her to know.

"A bezoar is an antidote to most common poisons, and is a stone found in a goats stomach," Ave answered promptly, not even waiting a second before shooting her words at him.

"Ah yes, Miss Whittaker, though I would prefer not to have a bunch of smart asses in my class. Ten points from Gryffindor for being one," Snape smirked then moved onto the next person and calling roll call. This was going to be a long year.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: Yeah no I am NOT JK Rowling.**

**AN: Hey guys! Thanks to Scarlett Angelica Potter, Cookie05, Ariauna, and .Nicoletta for reviewing/ adding to your favorite stories list/ putting on your alerts list! It means a lot to me, and encourages me as a writer! Oh, and check out my other story, Backwards Missions please!**

Chapter Five-Malfoy, Black, and the Ever Vanishing Faces

It was the second day of term, and Avery was standing in the courtyard, the stones surrounding her covered with picturesque ivy, and groups of students milling around her, laughing in carefree happiness. The snow had yet to fall and, though they were somewhere in Scotland, it was a pleasant day.

But Ave was standing thinking about the Dementor's. Harry hadn't been the only one who had fainted when it came into their compartment. The second the door had opened Ave felt as though she were having the life sucked out of her. And yes, she was violently shuddering when she woke up.

Ave heard footsteps coming towards her, so she looked up from her sketchpad, which she had been drawing the Black Lake on, and saw Draco Malfoy coming towards her. She was almost certain that he liked her as a friend, but was only mean to her in the Great Hall for his friends and because she was a Gryffindor, and he couldn't be seen talking to that. He was a rather interesting boy when he wasn't around his evil minions, Ave had decided.

"Is there something you want Drakky-Poo?" Ave asked with a smirk on her face.

"Why yes actually. Why aren't you in Slytherin, you little sneak?" Malfoy asked, doing a wonderful imitation of Snape the previous day.

"Weeeellllp, I decided I wanted to do good in the world, instead of destroy it like you and your golems," Ave answered with an angelic smile on her face, smirking inside.

"What's a golem?" Malfoy asked, looking concerned that Ave knew something he didn't.

"Ah, so not Jewish are you? Figure it out Doll," Ave said, and then walked away quickly towards History of Magic. Yawn. Oh, how she loved Professor Binns.

* * *

><p>Sitting in History of Magic, Ave looked beside her to see Jessica writing a note, then flicking it over to her desk.<p>

_Nervous about Black?_ It said. Ave took out the quill that she hadn't been using, and looked up to see Professor Binns talking about the Goblin War of 1876 BC, and how wizards and goblins needed to get along. Blah. It could've been interesting if Binns had a personality, or I don't know, a life.

_Nah, it's not like we don't have teachers to help us here, do we? I mean it's all right. _In all honesty though, Ave was a bit freaked out. Having an escaped convict who had killed thirteen muggles hunting near Hogwarts for Harry didn't sit well with her. What if Black suddenly decided that Harry wasn't a good target and that Ave was? That would be bad, like really, really bad.

Ave was a worrywart. It was a personality trait of hers, along with being extremely stubborn and prank oriented, that she has had since birth and wasn't likely to change.

_Lucky you, I'm completely freaked. _Jessica replied. Jessica was a silly, fun girl, with long, flowy brown hair and large brown eyes. She was a ton of fun to be around, as Ave had found out in only two days of sharing a room with her, and she didn't really care about school, which was obvious from the starting point.

_Well, I don't know. Maybe I'm a teensy bit scared out of my brains._ Ave replied on the note, deciding it was better to be truthful anyways. Then deciding against it, she stuck the note in her pocket and fell asleep to the sound of the rain pounding on the windows (it had only recently started) and Binns voice droning on about House-Elf rights **(lol, oh SPEW)**.

**!**

"Avery wake up!" A voice said, startling Ave out of her dreams about dancing butterflies and… Malfoy being a snicker doodle? Never mind, not important.

"Whaa?" She asked, sounding slightly drunk, and blinking up dazedly at the person standing above her.

"Dinner time Ave, god get you head out of the clouds," Jessica giggled.

Ave looked around the History of Magic classroom, only then noticing that they were the only two left in there. Even Binns had left, probably to lecture Peeves on the controversy between different kinds of wand woods or something stupid like that. Why was he even still here?

"Fine, fine coming," Ave mumbled, then stumbled her way out of the deserted classroom, blindly following the way towards the Great Hall. Pushing open the door, she looked around, and seeing Harry waving, pranced over towards him.

"Hey Harry," Ave giggled, pronouncing Harry like Har (like car) -ee. Harry laughed back, then turned to Hermione and Ron.

"Would you like to tell Ave why Malfoy is a gigantic twit, or shall I?" Harry asked, venom seeping into his voice when Malfoy's name was mentioned.

"You can, I guess," Hermione said nervously.

"So, we had Care of Magical Creatures with the Slytherin's yesterday. Malfoy's shirt sleeve got ripped by the Hippogriff and he complained and started saying its killing him, when it was obvious it didn't even touch him. What's more is that he's going to get Hagrid fired," Harry snarled.

"Whoa tiger calm. I saw Malfoy this morning, and his arm wasn't even in a sling or anything. He was being his usual twitty, as you so rightly said, self," Ave smirked, thinking that she had caught Mr. Malfoy at his own game.

"Not that you'll be able to prove anything without breaking rules," Hermione said. "And we can't have that."

"What was that about not breaking rules dear Hermy?" One of the Weasley twins said, sliding up on one side of her, smirking his usual smirk.

"Any opportunity to break the rules is a great one," The other said.

"Who are you? Haven't seen you around before? Are you a firstie?" The first one asked a grin on his freckled face. "I'm Fred,"

"And I, my dear lady, am the more handsomer one, George," The second one said in an aristocratic tone of voice before being punched in the arm by Fred.

"And you are?" They asked together, large smiles lighting up their faces.

"Avery Whittaker. You can call me Ave though," Ave laughed, smiles that rivaled the twins' breaking its way across her face.

"Lovely to meet you Avery-kins. I think we shall like you," The twins chorused together, however cliché, and stereotypical that sounds.

* * *

><p>Ave was walking the halls of the castle, late at night when she probably should have been in bed, when she came across an unmarked door that hadn't been there before. She had been in the Seventh floor corridor, and pacing back and forth, thinking about how weird it would be if people's faces always changed and vanished.<p>

Cautiously approaching the door from nowhere, Ave pushed it open slowly, half afraid of what she would find upon opening the door. Looking inside nervously, Ave was greeted with a curious sight.

Row upon row sat of faceless people. Then, their faces started to change into weird faces. One was of a dark looking woman with heavy black curls, and heavily-lidded eyes. Another was a man with red eyes like a snake, slits for a nose, and a lipless mouth. Yet another looked like an older version of Malfoy. But the one that intrigued Ave most was the one that looked like her, but in male form, and a couple of years older. The faces disappeared into different ones the second Ave went to take a closer look at them.

"What is this place?" Ave asked out loud, but to herself as no one was around.

Suddenly a sign appeared on the ceiling. It said _WELCOME TO THE CHAMBER OF THE EVER VANISHING FACES_, _ENJOY YOUR STAY!_ Ave ran back towards the door, across the room she had unconsciously wandered across. But the door was closing, and by the time Ave was almost within arm's reach of the door, it closed with a _click_.

Ave ran up even further, and tried to pull open the door, but she couldn't. She was stuck in the room. Turning back around to face the Ever Vanishing Faced people, she gulped. They were advancing upon her. In their faceless form.

**AN: Cliffhanger. ;) You know you love me *winks***


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter books, characters, places, or franchises. I do not pretend to. Don't sue me!**

**AN: Sorry .Nicoletta, my computer messed up your name! THANK YOU! And thanks also to Cookie05 and lildrummergurl98! You guys are the best! Okay, later! And HAPPY 11/11/11! Make a wish! *Blows out candles* Wait… it's not my birthday… Oh, and I understand that my timeline in here is skewed, but I just lost my copy of the Prisoner of Azkaban, so I feel it's my right! Oh, and sorry that this is so short, it's necessary!**

Chapter Six- Escape, Divination Explanation, and Spotted

Ave felt like screaming, but she couldn't. Her throat was closing in on itself. Breathe, she reminded herself. This is the Chamber of the Ever Vanishing Faces, but it couldn't have always been here, right? Someone would have told her, and someone else would have definitely come upon this room before her. So what was this? Did it pop in and out of existence, or what?

Then she remembered what McGonagall told her in passing one night. Apparently, somewhere in Hogwarts was a room that DID pop in and out of existence, which changed according to what you wanted at that moment. It was unplottable, and virtually impossible to find unless you knew what you were looking for. What had McGonagall called it? The Room of… Need? Want? Ahh, Requirement!

Ave closed her eyes and hoped that what she was about to do would work.

"Please turn into a room with an exit, please turn into a room with an exit," She mumbled under her breath. The face with snake eyes was almost upon her, before it changed into the older Malfoy, before it changed again, back to then faceless thing it was just seconds before that.

And then… the things vanished, and Ave was left in a room that looked like it was made all of steel, except for a sign flashing exit above a door. Ave pushed the door open, and stumbled out of the room breathing heavily, and collapsing against the wall across from the door that was slowly vanishing.

"Never… again…" She panted, miserably, before hearing someone coming down the hall, and attempting to straighten up and look normal.

She darted behind the tapestry of Barnaby, or WHATEVER it was, and tried to slow down her breathing.

"God, they really are all stupid aren't they?" Malfoy's drawling voice echoed down the hall. "I mean can't the see the resemblance between her and Sirius Black? It's obvious!"

"Who and Sirius Black?" Crabbe's grunting voice sounded down the hall.

"Not here! I'll tell you in the Common Room once we're done with Potter. You really ARE a bumbling idiot, aren't you?" Malfoy sneered, his voice growing quieter as the footsteps left where she was.

Ave's eyes were wide. Who looked like Sirius Black?

* * *

><p>"…And then she said that I had an omen of death! Trelawney is a bat! Don't take Divination once you hit third year, Ave. I wouldn't wish THAT lunatic on anyone!" Harry ranted later that night at dinner.<p>

Ave giggled, amused at Harry's tale of great, glittering insects and crazy predictions.

Harry smiled.

"OH MY GOD! Black has been spotted! Ave, Harry come over here!" Hermione shrieked, sounding strangely reminiscent of a dolphin's echolocation.

Ave ran over and looked down at the paper that Hermione was holding. A picture of that crazy, laughing man with the greasy black hair was on the front page. On top of his picture read: SIRIUS BLACK, SPOTTED IN HOGSMEADE! Ave breathed in largely, a great sense of foreboding entering her system.

Why did Sirius Black have to be coming HERE, for Harry? Harry was a good person! Somehow, though, she knew that whatever he was coming for that involved Harry, was going to have to involve her too.

And who did Malfoy think Sirius Black looked like? No one she knew, that was for certain. No one she knew laughed crazily once they had killed a large number of people, except for maybe Snape.

Whatever, Ave was just going to concentrate on getting to Halloween before she worried about anything like that. That would be hard enough anyways, just with her normal classes.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: K, so I've been saying this from the get-go, but this isn't mine. It never has been mine. It never will be mine. The end. Compredendendendo? (My language, you like?)**

**AN: Ok, so THANK you to Chuu112, for favoriting (apparently that's not a word…:-D) and alerting my story! I know that last one was a completely terrible chappie, so it means that much more! And I probably won't post on anything for like another 2 weeks, because I have a project due and next week is THANKSGIVING WEEKEND for my fellow American's, and I LOVE THANKSGIVING. Period. It's not because I get to eat, but because of the FOOTBALL (American…). I love football. Lol, well THAT'S getting creeper-y. But ANYWAYS... Thanks you lovely people who read this story you. You guys are the BEST.**

Chapter Seven- Halloween, Break In, and Devil Spawn

"HARRY WAKE UP!" Ave screamed, jumping up and down on his bed. It was Halloween, and Ave couldn't have been more excited. Halloween had always been Ave's favorite holiday. When she lived with the Whittaker's, it had been one of the only times she was allowed to celebrate a holiday and get things, because the nature of Halloween meant that she got free candy.

"Ave, what are you doing in here?" Harry asked, sitting up in bed confusedly, after taking a moment to blink the sleep from his eyes.

"I found out that, while the girls dorms are enchanted to not let males upwards towards our KINGDOM, females can ascend into the chamber pot you call a dorm room," Ave said, looking around in disgust at the clothes littering the floor. A distinct boy smell was lingering in the room and it was making her sick.

"Yes, but you misunderstood. Why. Are. You. Up. Here," Harry groaned, obviously annoyed at being waken up. Ave rolled her eyes.

"Because I wanted to be, you silly duckling. NOW DOWNWARDS, I YEARN FOR SUSTENANCE!" Ave said, holding up her arm like she was holding a sword, and marching towards the door, stopping by the doorway to smile sweetly at Harry.

Harry groaned again, then fell awkwardly out of bed. Avery laughed, then pranced down to the Common Room, waiting for Harry.

In the past few weeks of school, Ave had started to consider Harry as her best friend. Sure, she and her dorm mates were friends, but they were all kind of… plain and boring. Ave had nothing against them of course, they were extremely nice and stuff, but Ave couldn't DO plain. She always had to have something happening.

So Harry was her bestie, her BFFL. Ave snorted to herself, thinking those terms. As IF she would ever say THAT!

Ave had occupied her thoughts with this for about five minutes. She looked up at the stairs towards the boy's dorm and sighed. It WOULD take Harry that long to pull on a shirt, pants and his glasses.

Just as she was thinking these thoughts, said boy lazily sauntered down the stairs. Ave grinned, and grabbed his arm, pulling him along with her to breakfast.

* * *

><p><p>

"I'm sorry you can't go to Hogsmeade Harry," Ave said, sympathetically patting his shoulder. Ron and Hermione had just left for said town and Harry was acting all depressed again. And a depressed Harry usually acted stupid.

"C'mon. Let's go explore the castle!"

"You HAVE learned your way around the castle, right Ave? It's been like two months. It's be pretty sad if you hadn't," Harry replied to Ave's suggestion somewhat rudely.

"No, I have, but I mean the parts you don't normally see. Like where are the kitchens?" She suggested, the idea lighting her face up.

Just as Harry was about to agree, as his mood had been getting better steadily, Professor Lupin came along.

Ave and Professor Lupin had an odd relationship. She loved annoying him. He loved getting her detentions. And Ave had caught Lupin staring at her strangely multiple times. She had just brushed it off the first time, but the second and third she kept trying to figure out what that look meant. Recognition. She had figured it out after the fourth time. Ave shivered every time she remembered it. She didn't exactly like Professor Lupin.

Ave stared on silently as Loopy Lupin led Harry away to his office, ignoring her. Harry shot her an apologetic look over his shoulder, but she just rolled her eyes, and walked back to the Common Room, preparing to spend her Halloween with her dull roommates.

* * *

><p><p>

The day passed slowly, much to Ave's annoyance, and by the time the Halloween Feast had come along, she had acquired a pounding headache.

She had decided earlier on in the day that she was going to skip the Feast and just wander around the castle, as she had been since about four that afternoon. It must be nearly time for the Feast to be well and started, she thought, I can go back to the Common Room now.

Ave was in a wing she'd never been in before. Turning quickly in all directions, she knew that she had no idea where she had come from. Fish paste.

She turned, and selected a hallway at random. Well, she thought, I'll have to find my way back to civilization at SOME point.

After wandering down random hallways for a good thirty minutes, she had finally made her way back to where the main part of the castle, and quickly headed towards the Gryffindor Tower. Upon nearing the Fat Lady, Ave heard voices.

"Let me in," A man's voice growled. "I need to get him!"

"NO!" The Fat Lady shrieked, trying to be brave. Ave could hear the panic leaking out of her voice, and so was sure that the unknown man could as well.

Ave heard a tearing noise, and peeked around the corner she was leaning against. Standing in front of the ruins of the Fat Lady was none other than Sirius Black, in all his glory. Obviously Azkaban had done no good to him, as he looked even crazier than in the picture where he was laughing like a madman. His matted hair hung downwards in thick clumps, worse than Snape's even, and his sallow skin was stretched tightly across his face. He was grinning madly though, just like in the mug shot.

She screamed out of terror and shock when she saw that she had attracted Black's attention. He ran forwards and slipped his hand roughly over her mouth. Ave kicked her legs and flailed her arms, but it was no use. He kept holding on strongly.

"Bella had some devil spawn, did she?" Black hissed threateningly at her. Ave started crying, and gave up struggling. It was an eleven year old girl against a grown man. What chance did she have?

Then there were footsteps, and Ave's heart lifted. Black's head snapped upwards.

"No, it didn't work, not enough time," He muttered angrily. "I'll let you go, you little child of darkness, but rest assured, I will be back for him," Black growled yet again, glaring at Ave. And Black rushed down the hallway without a second glance.

Ave stood frozen for a second, before coming to her senses and screaming. What had just happened?


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter isn't mine.**

**AN: Well, it has been a while hasn't it? I'm not even going to attempt to thank everyone beyond screaming THANK YOU in my author's note, which I am doing right now. This is my attempt. In other words? Save us all. And this isn't off of hold or anything, I'm just updating for YOU guys, just this once.**

Chapter Eight- Snape's Suspicions, Great Hall, and Oh My

More footsteps came pounding down the hallway, and Harry was at the front of the pack.

Ave was collapsed on the ground where she had originally started, and was shivering, her black ringlets rippling down her back and crushed in the places that Sirius Black had been clutching them.

And on the subject of Sirius Black; what was that? Why had he called her devil's spawn and things of the like? She didn't even know who her parents were, so why should he, a man who had been stuck in a top security prison for the last twelve or so years? It didn't make any sense to Ave, but she didn't have any time to ponder her thoughts as Snape's hand shot out of nowhere and snatched her hair in the same exact place that Black did.

"Ow!" Ave shrieked indignantly. Snape ignored her.

"Girl! Why did you let Black into the castle? Have you been sneaking him in in hopes that you could allow him to get to Potter and kill him? Or is it because you know he's your…" Dumbledore cut Snape off mid-rant, greasy hair still standing up on end and oily black eyes still glinting as madly as Ave had seen Black's glint.

"Severus, that's enough, you're confusing the poor girl, and we are not sure of that. Is that clear?" Dumbledore's eyes flashed as he hissed the last ten words out to Snape, making sure none of the students except for Ave heard him, though her hearing him wasn't exactly what Dumbledore had wanted.

"Fine!" Snape fumed, before swirling off in a bat-like manner towards the dungeons, angered to the extreme.

"And Severus?" Dumbledore called after the man.

"WHAT? What could you possibly want old man?" Snape ranted. Dumbledore stood in the middle of the hallway, surrounded by all the students of Gryffindor with an amused look on his face. The Gryffindor's themselves looked delighted that the Headmaster could get that mad, and Harry Potter himself was looking completely baffled as to why Ave would have helped let Sirius Black into the castle. Ave thought it was quite an amusing sight.

"Bring your children down to the Great Hall. We have to search the castle. And tell them to bring night-clothes that will match purple sleeping bags. We can't have clashing can we?" Dumbledore smiled serenely, quite at odds with the middle statement in the message he had just relayed to Snape. "And Miss Whittaker? You must come with me and explain what happened to Severus, Remus and I. Thanks, and Gryffindor's? Off to the Great Hall!" McGonagall looked faintly incensed at the fact that Dumbledore was ordering her students around, and Ave looked nervous to have to go explain her story to one angry adult, one Dumbledore adult and one Lupin adult. And Ave wasn't sure which one would be worse.

"… and then you came around the corner, and yeah, that was pretty much it," Ave finished up nervously, glancing around warily as if for support from some invisible being inside the room. Dumbledore nodded looking concerned, Lupin had an enlightened look on his face and Snape just looked sour… as usual.

"Well Miss la Bleu, thank you for your time. Remus, Severus and I will escort you down to the Great Hall where you can listen to the Head Boy scream about being quiet and can whisper with your friends for the sole purpose of incensing the Head Boy," Dumbledore twinkled at Avery, immediately setting her at ease. Snape scowled; it appeared he really didn't want to help 'escort' the girl he had just previously accused to the Great Hall. "Come along, come along," Dumbledore called back, somehow already halfway down the steps from the Headmasters Office, which was where they had been sitting.

Upon entering the Great Hall, Ave's jaw dropped. The ceiling was covered in twinkling stars and a crescent moon, but where the tables used to be lie row upon row of violet colored sleeping bags, like Dumbledore had promised Snape there would be. She looked around, searching for Harry, Hermione and Ron, who were her true best friends.

Walking through the rows, Ave finally spotted where they were, but gave up on joining them as they had already made a triangle out of three sleeping bags and didn't seem like they'd be very accepting of a fourth.

Ave sighed, but found her own sleeping bag, that was oh-so greatly located next to Draco Malfoy and his crones and tried to drift off to sleep, knowing somehow that she never would.

Later that night, hushed whispers awoke Ave from where she was lying a few bags away from Draco, Crabbe and Goyle.

"Do you think that girl Whittaker let Black in?" A heavy sounding voice grunted uncertainly, as if it weren't used to talking.

"No, or course not Goyle. Don't be dense. The girl isn't smart enough to be able to let a criminal into Hogwarts, as it is only her first year," Malfoy snapped back. Ave could tell he was sneering from far away, just from the tone of his voice. "Besides she seems too nice for that type of thing," He continued, an odd note entering his voice. Ave ignored it, but Crabbe didn't.

"What, you got a crush on her?" His softly lisping voice questioned, a malicious undercurrent running through the question.

"Crabbe! How dare you suggest such a thing! I would never have a 'crush', as you called it on the filthy mudblood! Or any type of fond feelings at all! You're just as dense as Goyle! I don't know why I even bother with you two!" Malfoy whisper-yelled, before peeping around to make sure no one had heard him, Crabbe and Goyle arguing, thought the so-called argument was mostly one-sided.

"Someone's awfully sensitive about that girl! I'd watch your back if I were you Malfoy!" Crabbe lisped again, somehow sounding childish and threatening all at once.

"You oafs wouldn't be able to do anything on your own if you tried. I would just be thankful you have someone like me to guide you through Hogwarts, else you wouldn't have made it past first year!" Malfoy said with a certain thing in his voiced that screamed that the discussion was over.

Yet a few yards away, Ave was thinking over what she just heard in her head. The seeds of discord were already sown in Crabbe's brain at least. How long would it take before they were tended and the boy finally grew up into the evilly independent thing that he was sure to become?


	9. IMPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE

Hello! I am re-writing this story and _The Forgotten One. _The first chapters of both re-writes have been posted, and can be found on my profile! Go check 'em out!

Thanks,

Laura


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